


The Nearness of You

by lty0701



Series: Cheek to Cheek [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Boys Kissing, Coffee, Cute, Dates, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kissing, M/M, New York City, No Angst, Strangers to Lovers, Subways, cinema, restaurant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29227152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lty0701/pseuds/lty0701
Summary: Since September, Johnny has been meeting this cute boy in the subway.
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: Cheek to Cheek [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2146044
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello ! My name is Ani and I love Johnyong ^_^ It's my first time writing and English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes or if it's cringe (T_T) It's very short but I hope I will have time to write more parts since I have a lot of ideas for this fic (⁀ᗢ⁀) I hope you will like it !

Johnny rushes to catch the subway because he knows too well that he will have to wait a long time before another arrives. New York's metro line can be quite shitty. He manages to enter right before the doors close. Tonight, the metro is not too full. Catching his breath, he finally spots the tuft of pink hair he knows so well. Since September, every Tuesday and Thursday morning and also every Friday evening, he meets this boy with colored hair, with a candid but angular face and with stunning outfits. The only things he knows about his stranger are: that he's Korean like him (Johnny has seen him write in Korean in one of his notebooks), that he's in his twenties, that he must be studying in art because a lot of his clothes are covered with drawings, that he has a tendency to bite his nails and that he often draws and reads his lessons on the train. John doesn't even know his name but he looks forward to see him every time. He doesn't even know why, he just tells himself that it adds color to his rather monotonous life. They never really interacted, just a few stealthy glances here and there. Most of the time, he observes him through the reflection of the window. Johnny takes his usual seat next to the young man, put his briefcase on his lap, relaxes his shoulders, then watches him. 

On this night of May, the boy wears a white paint-stained t-shirt too large for his frail body, black pants printed with pink teddy bears, black baskets that have seen better days and the same leather bag he always has with him. His ears are adorned with a lot of jewelry. He looks tired, his eyes are almost closed, John sees. He has noticed that, for the past few weeks, the dark circles already present on his face keeps getting bigger. Johnny tries not to worry about someone he doesn't even know, but he can't help it. He's thinking of a way to help him without having to talk to him (he can be a bit shy when it's come to people he is attracted to) when suddenly, he feels a weight crashing on his shoulder.

John abruptly turns his head and sees that the boy has just fallen asleep on him. Oh my God, he thinks to himself, what should I do? He looks around to see the reaction of the passengers, but no one reacted. He can't stop blushing. He tries to calm himself and steady his heart that keeps beating fast. He decides to take a deep breath and to try to enjoy the moment. He looks so cute, thinks John. His cheeks are pressed against his shoulder in a way that made him look like he's pouting. He has a scar near his right eye that looks like a rose. Up close, the stranger smells like strawberry. Oh Lord, why he's so pretty? Johnny suddenly feels some wetness on his shoulder, the cute boy started to drool a bit on his suit. John feels kind of sick for thinking that it's quite adorable. Suddenly, the stranger mumbles something, but it's too loud in the subway to hear anything.  
A few minutes pass and Johnny, still contemplating and admiring the guy, realizes that they are near the station where cute boy usually exits, so he should wake up him soon. He tries to wake him up but fails. He shakes him off again, but with more force this time when the boy wakes up slowly and, still sleepy, says in Korean: « Doyoung, stop shaking me… ». But all of a sudden, he jolts and straights himself up, staring at Johnny like a scared cat. John stares at him back. His big black eyes are so deep, they seem to hold the universe in it. He looks shocked and his face is reddening. The stranger quickly wipes the drool off his cheeks with his sleeve. He mutters a quiet and shy sorry, grabs his bag and runs out of the subway right before the doors close. Johnny stares at the door and wonders, sheepishly, what just happened.

Taeyong feels so stupid. He just fell asleep on the guy he “might” have a crush on. He doesn't even know him, but he finds him really attractive (the guy has an amazing face and he is tall and well built, totally his type) and he just ridiculed himself in front of him. He thinks that lately, he looks so ugly because of his tiredness. His face and eyes are so puffy because of sleepless night working on his university project. And on top of that, he drooled on him!!!! He totally ruined his chances with hot stranger.  
Stepping out of the station, he sighs and decides to call his roommate, Doyoung, to rant about his misfortune.  
As soon as his roommate answers, he says: « Doie, I feel so dumb… »

« What happened again Yong... » asks Doyoung with boredom, as if he was used to his best friend embarrassing himself.

« You know that lately, I've been working on my final project late at nights. » his roommate hums « And this week, I slept less than 6 hours per nights. And because of that, I just fell asleep on hot stranger and I drooled on him! » Taeyong exclaims with despair. He hears his friend laughs at the other side of the line.

« Oh my God! I'm sorry but it's so funny! You just fell asleep on the guy you are thirsting over and you literally drooled on him! » laughs Doyoung

« Stop laughing!!! » says Yong while pouting « What should I do to apologize? »  
He waits for his answer, Doyoung trying to calm himself. 

When he succeeds, he says: « You told me that he's always with a cup of coffee when you see him, so buy him some coffee at Starbucks, it can be a good apology gift. » 

Taeyong thinks about it for a few seconds and then responds: « Yes, I'm going to do that! Doie, you're the best, I love you so much!! I'm home in ten minutes, bye bye! » and he hangs up without giving for his best friend time to answer. Taeyong, content, walk happily till he reaches home.

Johnny has been thinking about the incident all the week-end. He's scared that things will get awkward. How should he be now? Should he act the same? Should he talk to him? Clearing his head, he steps into the subway and sits on his usual seat. He is deep in his mind when he feels someone sitting next to him. It's cute boy! This morning, he's wearing a white shirt with some brand written on it, a red faded jean, a big black cap, white sneakers and his leather bag. Nothing unusual but it's the first time that he's seen him holding a cup of coffee. Usually, he doesn't drink at all. He looks shy and stressed and he can't stop watching his shoes.  
The guy takes a deep breath, looks up at John and says: « Hello, I wanted to apologize for sleeping on you. » Too stunned, Johnny stares him intensely. Taeyong, coughs awkwardly and, rubbing his neck with his free hand, continues: « So I brought you coffee to apologize for ruining your suit. » He hands him the cup.

John startles, takes the coffee and answers him in Korean: « Oh, sorry, you didn't have to do that, you didn't ruin my suit at all but thank you so much for the drink! »

« You are Korean? » asks Taeyong, surprised

« Yes, I am. » replies Johnny with a big smile « By the way, what's your name? »

« My name is Taeyong. And you? »

« I'm Johnny. How old are you? »

« I'm 25! »

« Wow, I'm 25 too, but you look way younger than me. You're still studying if I'm not wrong. »

« Yes! I'm in my last year of college and I've been working on my final project lately, so this is why I've been really tired. » 

« What is your major? »

« I'm majoring in Fashion. » says Taeyong with pride in his eyes « I'm really passionate about it. »

« I had a hint that you were studying fashion. The way you dress is so cool and you're truly beautiful » says Johnny without even realizing. Wait, what I just said? thinks John.  
He sees the other boy reddening and avoiding his gaze.

Taeyong mutters, really quietly in a way that made him almost miss it « You're really handsome too. »

John smiles and thinks, he's so cute, I might be in love with him. He thanks him for the compliment, and after that, they talk.  
They talk about Taeyong's sweet tooth, Johnny's talent in photography, his love for coffee, their favorite places in New York and everything that can cross their mind at this moment. They would have never thought that they would get along this well. After a few minutes arguing about which restaurant is the best to eat Korean in NYC, John notices that his station is the next one. He stands up and says: « I would love to spend the day talking with you but I have to go to work. I will see you on Thursday? »

« Yes », says Taeyong grinning, « I will see you on Thursday. »  
The tall guy waves at the smaller and leaves the metro.  
When he is out of sight and the metro starts running again, Yong takes out his phone and sends a message at Doyoung saying: _HE IS SO AMAZING DOYOUNG IM IN LOVE!!!!_

They both can't wait for Thursday to come.


	2. Chapter 2

When Thursday comes, they are both excited. As soon as Taeyong arrives, he opens his bag and searches for something inside, with just saying a small hello to John. Last time, they talked about his passion for art in general and Johnny asked if he could see some of the drawings he's always making in the subway. Yong promised him that he will bring his favorite sketchbook next time and in exchange, he should show his favorite pictures that he took.

« I found it! » he exclaims. He's holding a thick book with photos and fabrics exceeding the pages. It has a blue cover and it looks quite worn.  
« Is it your notebook? »  
« Yes, and my favorite! I usually don't bring it with me because it's the one where I put my fav creations. It's really precious to me. » He holds it close to his chest. « Can I show it to you? » he asks with pleading eyes  
« Yes, of course. Show it to me. »

Saying that Johnny is astounded is an understatement. What Taeyong is creating is breathtaking. Whether it's the mix between fabrics, colors, shapes, everything's perfect and falls into place. Most of his sketches are clothes or accessories, but sometimes he will draw landscapes, animals or daily life items. His clothing sets are majestic. His drawings are surrounded by scribbled notes, pictures, and fabrics of all kinds. He uses different materials to draw like paint, chalk, watercolor, colored pencils and everything possible. Each page is different from another, and with it brings a different emotion.  
After browsing through it for a few minutes, Taeyong asks, shyly: « Do you like it? »

« Yes of course, I love it, it's magnificent, you're truly talented. »

« Thank you so much! It's my first time showing it to someone other than my best friend and my parents. »

« Really? »

« Yes. All the pages are scanned and when I have to show one of my favorite drawings for school, for example, I only show the scan, it's easier and I'm really, really scared of losing it. »

« Wow, I'm really thankful to have the chance to see it in real. If it's not too intrusive, can I ask why it's so precious to you? »

« Oh well, it's because it's the first drawing book I have ever got and it's my grandmother who gifted it to me for my eighth birthday. Before that, I used to draw on my school books or on every surface that I could find. Obviously, my parents weren't really happy about that. After I got it, I started to go on drawing classes and I started to own a lot more sketchbooks but this one will always remain my favorite. I've put my first old ugly drawings in another one, because I wanted to keep this one for the best. And it's perfect! It has a lot of pages and the paper is perfect to draw on it. Anyways, can I see your pictures? » 

« Yes of course. »

Johnny open his briefcase, pull out an album photo and hand it to Taeyong.

« I own a Leica M3, it's my baby, and it's the one I have used the most to take the pictures from this album but some are from my iPhone X. » he explains while the smallest is going through it

« Is this your mom? » Taeyong points out at a picture of a woman who looks in her fifties, sitting on a chair behind a table full of food, surrounded by people smiling and with a cake in front of her. The picture radiates joyful energy, everybody is laughing or grinning in it.

« Yes, it was during her birthday last year in Chicago. »

The student hums and continues to browse the album.

« Who is it? »

The photo shows a man, around the same age as them, sitting behind a table, in what look like a restaurant. He's dressed well in a shirt that hang perfectly on his shoulders and he's very pretty, with a face like a doll. It's seems like he's in an animated conversation with the waiter.

« Oh, it's my best friend, Ten, he was flirting with the waiter that day. I remember it clearly, he got the poor boy so red with his wooing. »

For a few minutes, nothing but silence between the two. When Taeyong closes the album, Johnny looks at him expectantly.

« I've noticed something. You never take pictures of landscapes. Never of people posing. Never of things that aren't in motion. There's always movement in your pictures. It feels like you took a video instead of a picture. While looking at them, I was transported in the moment and I was able to feel emotions through this, most of the time happiness. It reminds me of the moving pictures from Harry Potter. » There's a few seconds of pause « I love what you take, it's beautiful. » says Taeyong sincerely, staring into the other man's eyes.

Johnny is thunderstruck. He already got a few praises for his photos, but never something like this. 

« I don't really know what to answer because I've never received a compliment like this, but thank you. Really, thank you so much. » he says, voice full of emotions

For several seconds, they gaze at each other in the eyes, smiles and blushing cheeks adorning their faces, as if they were alone in the subway. 

Johnny knows that his station is next, so he breaks the spell and asks: « Can I have your phone number? »

Taeyong, surprised, says yes, gives his phone to John and asks him to give him his so he can write his phone number on it. They exchange back their phones and Johnny takes his briefcase, stands up and adds: « Don't hesitate to message me, even if it's for the most mundane things, I love talking with you. » 

« Can I send you pictures of my day? » 

« Yes of course, and I will send you some too, even if my life is kind of repetitive. » 

« I will try to add more colors in it! Bye Johnny! » Taeyong waves at him cutely

« Bye Taeyong! » he waves back and leaves the subway car

A few hours later, Johnny is in the middle of working when suddenly, his phone lights up.

1:23pm [Tyong-Tyong 💖🌹💖] _Hello Hyung, it's Taeyong (I'm calling you Hyung since you're a few months older than me 😊😉☺️)! I just finished lunch, I ate Mexican today! I had class this morning, and now I'm about to work on my final project 🤩😁 Can't wait to show it to you 😉!!!!!_

« Who is sending you messages for you to smile like this? » ask Jaehyun suspiciously, his friend with whom he is sharing an office

« I'm not smiling, what are you saying? » John answers with disbelief

He opens his phone camera, and indeed, he's smiling like a fool.

« Whatever, you will tell me when you are ready... » says his friend

Johnny hums noncommittal, already typing an answer to Yong.

Taeyong is walking to the university atelier with his friend, Yuta, when he receives a message. He takes his phone out from his pocket and reads:

1:28pm [Johnny 📸🌻] _Hi Taeyong! Personally, I still haven't eaten. I've been working on a client's contract this morning and I will continue to do it this afternoon. Quite boring, right? Anyway, I can't wait to see what you created 😉_

He puts back his phone in his jeans and grinning, daydreams about his next meeting with his crush.


	3. Chapter 3

It's been a month since their first interaction. They keep messaging each other, sending each other pictures and calling each other late at night. Johnny tries not to keep him awake too late since he knows how tired his crush is but he's selfish and he wants to talk with him all the time. It happened a few times where Yong fell asleep during their call. Taeyong sends him pictures of his outfits of the day since he knows how much Johnny likes them, the cute cat he saw on his balcony, the shirt he really wants to buy but is too pricy and everything that he finds interesting enough to send him. Johnny sends him pictures of his coffees (Taeyong was concerned by how much coffee he drinks a day), his plushie collection, the view from his flat and, like Taeyong, everything that is a minimal interesting. One day, Johnny even took the risk to send him a picture right after his gym session, his white tank top clinging close to his sweaty body, showing his abs through the shirt. Right after sending it, he saw “read” underneath his picture and the message bubble keeps appearing and disappearing. The only responses he got were a reaction photo of a shocked Koongya and a « _fuck..._ ». Johnny snickered and decided that it was enough teasing for today.

The attraction is mutual and well-know but they are both too shy to make a move. The Chicagoan knows that Taeyong is shyer, so he will have to do the first step. It's late at night on Saturday that he makes the choice to ask his best friend some advices. He sits down on his couch and calls him. After the fourth ringing, he answers: « What? » barks Ten

« Oh my God, hello to you too Ten… » responds Johnny with annoyance

« You didn't call me for two weeks and it's been one month since we last saw each other and you expect me to be happy about it. »

« I'm sorry Tennie, I was pretty busy so I forgot about our weekly call and everything. My mind has been preoccupied lately. »

« By what? »

« Someone. »

« Oh, it's starting to get interesting, let me sit and tell me, who won the heart of our Prince Charming? » 

« Ten you should meet him, he's an angel, his name is Taeyong, he is so cute and so kind, but at the same time so fun— »

« Stoooop Johnny I understood, he's the love of your life and everything but I know you're not calling me for that, you're calling me for something else so, what do you need? »

« I need help, I want to ask him out but I don't know how to do it and I don't want to get rejected and he's so tired all the time because of his finals and I don't want to stress him. »

« First of all, calm down, take a deep breath and we will do it with questions. First, why would he reject you? Does he look interested in you? »

« I don't know, I think it's just me stressing but we never know and yes, I feel like we have something more than “friends” but I just met him in September and started to talk with him one month ago »

« Wait, it's cute subway boy? »

« Yes. » answers Johnny with a grunt, his head falling on the headrest

« Okay, I understand better now. Seriously, you should go for it, you're interested and he is too so go and take him out on a date. And for his tiredness, just go out after his finals. »

« Oh yes. I guess I got too deep in my thoughts and I panicked a bit… » a few seconds pass where only their breathings can be heard « Thank you for everything Ten. » says Johnny sincerely

« You're welcome, you will pay for my drink when we will go out on Friday, right? »

« Yes Ten, I love you, bye! » he laughs

« Love you too, bye! »

Johnny is as stressed as the Tuesday after the incident. Ten sent him a message this morning telling him to not be anxious and that everything will go well. He enters the subway and goes to sit in his seat. He spends the minutes where he's alone doing some kind of prep talk in his head. He knows exactly how many times it takes for the subway to reach Taeyong's station so when it's next, he just closes his eyes, tries to steady his heartbeat and waits. He feels a little bit stupid for being stressed since he's already had boyfriends and girlfriends, but it never lasted long and he never felt this kind of connection with anyone else. And normally, he's not shy, he is an extrovert, but when it's come to love, he can't stop overthinking. He didn't even notice Yong already arrived until he feels someone tapping lightly his shoulder. As soon a he opens his eyes, he sees Taeyong and smiles.

« Hello Yong! »

« Hello Johnny, were you sleeping? » asks Taeyong with his doe eyes wide open

« No I wasn't, I was just thinking about something. How was your weekend? » 

Johnny already knows most of the things he did since they facetimed on Saturday, but he loves to hear it again, with new details each time. Taeyong tells him that he spent his weekend studying since his exams are next week. On Saturday, he went to a study date with some friends and on Sunday, he studied at home with his roommate. He also did the grocery shopping this Saturday, where he met an old acquaintance. « And yesterday, I spent my day at the atelier completing my project, I'm so glad I finally finished it. I can't wait to be free from school and to be on summer break… Johnny are you okay, you look distracted today. You know you can talk to me »

« Oh about that… I want to ask you something and if you don't accept, it's okay, I will not be mad or anything. » He breathes deeply, gathers his courage and asks: « Taeyong, will you go on a date with me? »

Instantly, Taeyong answers with the prettiest smile Johnny ever saw and the softest voice he ever heard: « Yes, I would love to. »

« Oh my God, I'm so relieved and happy! » He exhales and put a hand on his chest, right where his pounding heart is. « Just, I'd prefer to go out after your exams, I don't want to burden you with that. »

« Oh yes, I'd prefer too, so in two weeks? »

« Yes, on Saturday? »

« Yes, where will we go? » asks Taeyong, thrilled

« I already thought about it, we could go to the cinema and then go to the restaurant if it's good for you »

« Good for me! What will we see? »

« It's a surprise dear, it's something you will like, I'm sure. I should get going, we will talk about the details later. Have a nice day Yong! »

« Have a nice day Hyung! » John flushes at the honorific, he never had someone calling him that in his life before him, and Taeyong notices it and laughs.

_Can't wait to be in two weeks 💖😊_ , receives Johnny three hours later

_Me too 😉💕_ , he answers, a grin clinging on his face

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you sooo much for reading it, I hope you liked it !! Any kudos, comments, advices, suggestions etc. are welcomed :) Have a nice day/night (*^_^*)


End file.
